W2Mnet College Football Top 25: Week 10

It did not take long at all for the first College Football Playoff Rankings to go into the trash can. Especially, with the Texas A&M Aggies loss to the Mississippi Bulldogs on Saturday. However, this wasn’t the only big loss. The Florida Gators lost their second game of the season to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Baylor Bears lost for the second week in a row, in a blowout to the TCU Horned Frogs. The Ohio State Buckeyes also blew out the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Not to mention, the SEC West clash between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers resulted in Alabama remaining undefeated, and LSU taking another tumble. While teams such as: the Washington State Cougars, Penn State Nittany Lions, West Michigan Broncos and USC Trojans continue to rise. This is the W2Mnet College Football Top 25 for Week 10.

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 9-0 (6-0 in SEC)

Last Week: 1

It’s hard to look at the result of the Bama/LSU game this week and wonder how much the bye week helped or hurt Bama. In the end, they did wind up with the win against an LSU team, which showed their defense is for real. So far this year, it is clear that Alabama truly deserves the number one ranking. – Daniel Anderson

(Next Week: vs. Mississippi State)

#2 Michigan Wolverines

Record: 9-0 (6-0 in Big Ten)

Last Week: 2

Another week, another blowout for the Michigan Wolverines, who put up a FBS best third win of 50 points or more. They destroyed a then 5-3 Maryland team by a score of 59-3. A 35-0 halftime lead took any question out of this game early and Michigan never looked back. The Wolverines are back on the road next weekend as they go on the road against Iowa. A home game with Indiana follows but really, both of those are table setters for the pending showdown with Ohio State on November 26th. – Harry Broadhurst

(Next Week: @ Iowa)

#3 Clemson Tigers

Record: 9-0 (6-0 in ACC)

Last Week: 3

The Clemson Tigers put up so many points in the first half that DeShaun Watson got to sit for a lot of the second half. A 30-0 halftime lead blossomed into a 54-0 victory over Syracuse. Capped off with an impressive 64 yard interception return for a touchdown. These are the kind of style points that look great for the playoff committee. Clemson hosts Pittsburgh next week. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: vs. Pittsburgh)

#4 Washington Huskies

Record: 9-0 (6-0 in Pac-12)

Last Week: 4

Jake Browning threw for six touchdowns for the second time this season, as the Washington Huskies crushed California 66-27. Washington wanted to prove a point after being passed up for Texas A&M in the first playoff rankings of the season. What was more impressive was the defense, who shut down Cal after a first quarter shootout. The Huskies host a red hot USC team next week. – Randy Isbelle

(Next Week: vs. USC)

#5 Louisville Cardinals

Record: 8-1 (6-1 in ACC)

Last Week: 5

Lamar Jackson scores all but three of the Louisville Cardinals 52 points in an absolute rout of Boston College. 416 yards and seven touchdowns in total for Jackson puts him right at the top of the Heisman Trophy race. Not to mention, he had two huge TD runs of 69 and 53 yards respectively. The Cardinals look ahead to a feisty Wake Forest squad next week. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: vs. Wake Forest)

#6 Ohio State Buckeyes

Record: 8-1 (5-1 in Big Ten)

Last Week: 6

The Buckeyes appeared to take offense to the fact that they were sixth in the original College Football Playoff rankings. So, they decided to use Nebraska to send a message. Ohio State puts up 31 in each half on the way to rolling the Cornhuskers 62-3. J.T. Barrett with four TD passes, rushing TDs by two different backs and a pair of pick sixes lead the way in the domination of a fellow CFP top ten team. Next up, it’s Maryland. – Harry Broadhurst

(Next Week: @ Maryland)

#7 Wisconsin Badgers

Record: 7-2 (4-2 in Big Ten)

Last Week: 7

The Wisconsin Badgers had a tough road trip against an underrated Northwestern squad. However, they came back from Evanston with a 21-7 win to claim the lead in the Big 10 West. Assuming the Badgers win out, they have the chance to get their win back against either Ohio State or Michigan in the Big 10 title game. Wisconsin comes back to Camp Randall this week to face an Illinois team that just took down Michigan St. – Harry Broadhurst

(Next Week: vs. Illinois)

#8 Auburn Tigers

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in SEC)

Last Week: 11

The Auburn Tigers beat a hard fighting Vanderbilt team. But with Alabama’s win over LSU, everyone’s eyes are on the November 25th game against Alabama. Auburn cannot afford to look ahead though because they have to go to Athens to play Georgia. This game next week could be a potential trap game for the Tigers. – Daniel Anderson

(Next Week: @ Georgia)

#9 Oklahoma Sooners

Record: 7-2 (6-0 in Big 12)

Last Week: 12

Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Sooners took down Iowa State Thursday night. The Sooners kept things together as they traded blows with the Cyclones in the first half, but soon pulled away. Defense ruled the second half as Oklahoma only allowed the Cyclones to score once in the fourth quarter. Baker Mayfield was responsible for all four Sooner touchdowns. Dede Westbrook was one of the four receivers to grab a touchdown pass as he lead the charge with over 100 yards receiving. It was the Sooners defense that aided in a big win as they held the Cyclones to only 290 yards of total offense. The Oklahoma Sooners are not an elite team, but they prove to be a team that knows how to win games. – Gary Vaughan

(Next Week: vs. Baylor)

#10 West Virginia Mountaineers

Record: 7-1 (4-1 in Big 12)

Last Week: 15

The West Virginia Mountaineers took Kansas to the woodshed in a big win. The WVU dominated the first half with 31 unanswered points. It was the West Virginia rushing attack that helped put Kansas away with Justin Crawford and Kennedy MoKoy both rushing for over 100 yards. Daikiel Shorts Jr. and Shelton Gibson were sure hands as they along with Skyler Howard torched the Jayhawks. West Virginia continues to bring the heat as they make their way amongst the best teams in college football. – Gary Vaughan

(Next Week: @ Texas)

#11 Western Michigan Broncos

Record: 9-0 (5-0 in MAC)

Last Week: 14

The Broncos stampeded over Ball State on Tuesday with a 52-20 win. Zach Terell had a monster game with 367 yards and three touchdowns. Jarvion Franklin continued his good play with 109 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Senior Corey Davis had the best game of his career receiving with 272 yards and three touchdown receptions. Western Michigan is becoming the powerhouse of the MAC Conference and continued to show why this week. They attempt to remain undefeated with a date with Kent State coming up Tuesday night. – Noah Mooney

(Next Week: Tuesday @ Kent State)

#12 Penn State

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in Big Ten)

Last Week: 18 (tied for biggest rise of the week)

There was no team that got an ego boost quite like these Nittany Lions from the release of the first CFP rankings. After the stunning upset of the then number two Buckeyes, Penn St has completely ambushed a pair of over matched teams the last two weeks in Purdue and Iowa this past Saturday (41-14 in Happy Valley.) Road games with Indiana and Rutgers and a home game against Michigan St to end the season mean that if Ohio St beats Michigan, Penn St could end up winning the Big Ten East. It’s an outside chance at best, but the possibility is still there for Penn St to shake up the CFP even further. – Harry Broadhurst

(Next Week: @ Indiana)

#13 Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 7-2 (4-2 in SEC)

Last Week: 8

The Aggies were a controversial team this week through no fault of their own. When the first Playoff Rankings came out this week Texas A&M were ranked as the number four team in the country. This angered a lot of people because that put two SEC teams in the playoffs. Fortunately, for all that got angered over this, The Aggies lost to Mississippi State in a hard fought game. Time will tell, if they can bounce back from their second loss, but this is still a very good team that no one wants to face. – Daniel Anderson

(Next Week: vs. Ole Miss)

#14 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Record: 7-2 (4-2 in Big Ten)

Last Week: 10

Not the best last couple weeks for Nebraska. First Wisconsin knocks them from the ranks of the unbeaten. Then Ohio St puts a beating on them this weekend. To make matters worse, Tommy Armstrong took an awkward hit on the sideline and was knocked out of the game, which derailed any real possibility that the Cornhuskers had of coming back (was 24-3 at the time). The rest of the schedule for Nebraska looks tolerable, however. A Minnesota team team awaits next, which could be difficult followed by a currently 5-4 Maryland team. A trip to Iowa City closes the season, so ten wins is still a possibility. A Wisconsin stumble is necessary for any chance at a Big Ten title though. – Harry Broadhurst

(Next Week: vs. Minnesota)

#15 North Carolina Tar Heels

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in ACC)

Last Week: 19

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky and running backElijah Hood combine for 497 yards and four touchdowns, as the North Carolina Tar Heels decimate Georgia Tech. The offense put up 636 total yards and the defense forced two turnovers as well. UNC faces arch rival Duke next week on a special Thursday night showdown. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: Thursday @ Duke)

#16 Oklahoma State Cowboys

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in Big 12)

Last Week: 17

The Oklahoma State Cowboys won another close game against Kansas State. It took a late fourth quarter pair of touchdowns for the Cowboys to win the game. Mason Rudolph was a big reason for Oklahoma State’s success with over 400 yards passing and five touchdowns. James Washington was a big help to Rudolph in the passing game as he had a solid performance. The one guy deserving of maybe the biggest praise would have to go to Chris Carson who put the Cowboys ahead with his 17 yard rushing touchdown. Oklahoma State is holding strong with every win as they work to move up in the rankings. – Gary Vaughan

(Next Week: vs. Texas Tech)

#17 Florida Gators

Record: 6-2 (4-2 in SEC)

Last Week: 9

The Gators gave hope to their SEC East opponents by losing to Arkansas. The offense just could not get going, and Luke Del Rio having to throw 27 times does not bode well for the Gators. It doesn’t get any easier for Florida since they have to go a surging South Carolina squad next week and then face an angry LSU team the following week. If they lose again, then the SEC East is wide open. – Daniel Anderson

(Next Week: vs. South Carolina)

#18 Florida State Seminoles

Record: 6-3 (3-3 in ACC)

Last Week: 20

North Carolina State has been a bit of a bogey team for some traditional CFB powerhouses this season. They did their best to pester the Florida State Seminoles and almost came away with the win. However, the Seminoles rallied from down 20-10 with a rush TD from Dalvin Cook and a key TD pass from Deondre Francois to Mason Rudolph with 3:09 left to play. It wasn’t pretty, but FSU get the job done. Next week, Florida State get a breather against Boston College. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: vs. Boston College)

#19 Washington State

Record: 7-2 (6-0 in Pac-12)

Last Week: 25 (Tied for biggest rise in rankings this week)

Luke Falk was nearly perfect on Saturday, going 32 of 35 for 311 yards and four touchdowns, as the Cougars cruised. Arizona had no chance as the Cougars scored 24 unanswered in the first quarter and never looked back. Even the backup quarterback for Washington State had a nice game. Tyler Hilinski went 15 of 17 for 163 and two touchdowns in a relief role as the Cougars won 69-7. Washington State looks for their eighth straight win when they take on Cal next week. – Randy Isbelle

(Next Week: vs. California)

#20 Colorado Buffaloes

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in Pac-12)

Last Week: 21

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Colorado Buffaloes got the job done on Thursday night and defeated UCLA 20-10. A late punt return for a touchdown by Isaiah Oliver locked it up, but it was the defense that won this game for the Buffaloes. UCLA did not score a single point from three minutes into the second quarter onward. Colorado goes to Arizona to play the Wildcats before hosting back to back Pac-12 teams who are currently in the Top 25. – Randy Isbelle

(Next Week: @ Arizona)

#21 Virginia Tech Hokies

Record: 7-2 (5-1 in ACC)

Last Week: 22

On a day where the Virginia Tech Hokies offense wasn’t exactly going bonkers, the defense came up with a huge play. They returned a field goal 75 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open. Duke would score a TD late to narrow the score to 24-21. However, the Hokies defense stood tall in the last seven minutes and helped Virginia Tech hold on for the win. Virginia Tech host Georgia Tech next week. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: vs. Georgia Tech)

#22 Boise State Broncos

Record: 8-1 (4-1 in Mountain West)

Last Week: 24

Boise State rebounded after a season altering loss against Wyoming last week, with a 45-31 win over San Jose State. Brett Rypien had a bounce back performance this week with 219 pass yards and a trio of touchdown passes. Jeremy McNichols was fantastic once again with 158 yards and two touchdowns. Cedrick Wilson was Rypien’s favorite target with 102 yards and two touchdowns. Boise State may not make a New Year’s Six bowl game, but they could still finish at a very impressive 11-1 and win the Mountain West Conference. – Noah Mooney

(Next Week: @ Hawaii)

#23 LSU Tigers

Record: 5-3 (3-2 in SEC)

Last Week: 16 (Biggest Fall in rankings this week)

The Tigers played a tough game, as usual against Alabama. The defense kept things scoreless through the third quarter. However, they couldn’t hold Jalen Hurd forever and he eventually broke through to score what ultimately proved to be the game winning score. This loss firmly puts LSU out of any conference title contention. But the team’s improvement under their new coach shouldn’t go unnoticed. They will still look to play each team they face very tough. Speaking of tough, they get to travel to Arkansas next week in a Golden Boot showdown. – Sean Garmer

(Next Week: @ Arkansas)

#24 Utah Utes

Record: 7-2 (4-2 in Pac-12)

Last Week: 23

The Utah Utes had a bye this week. The Utes play on the road against Arizona State next week. – Randy Isbelle

(Next Week: Thursday @ Arizona State)

#25 USC Trojans

Record: 6-3 (5-2 in Pac-12)

Last Week: NR

Ronald Jones II ran all over the Oregon Ducks as the USC Trojans won their fifth straight game, taking down Oregon 45-20. Jones II ran for 171 yards on 20 carries and found the endzone four times. The Trojans looks to continue this winning streak in their toughest test of the season since their Week 1 match-up against Alabama. The Trojans will go on the road to play Washington next week. – Randy Isbelle

(Next Week: @ Washington)

MAIN PHOTO: